Interest in “camp” rifles is surging. Whether it reflects a return to our hunter-gatherer instincts or whether it is simply that they represent a fun alternative to traditional bolt-action, scoped rifles it is difficult to say. Certainly, there is something appealing about a rifle small enough to fit in a…
On test this month is the Browning 725 20-bore over-and-under. We have looked at a 725 20-bore before, the excellent 32in-barrelled Hunter (July 2014 issue). This is a lighter, 30in gun with more action decoration and different wood. The Browning 725 20-bore varies in both handling and character from its outstanding…
This month’s test gun is a 32in Krieghoff K-80 Parcours over-and-under imported into the UK by Alan Rhone of Wrexham. Rhone is well known for his long-standing involvement with this German company and has contributed to the evolution of this shotgun. First impressions of the gun, a model introduced about…
The Merkel 65E sidelock is a gun in which I must declare an interst. I had some influence on the specification. About a year ago I was invited by Merkel to rejig the design to make it more appealing to British sportsmen and, in the process, perhaps make it more…
The Ruger M77 Hawkeye will benefit from the firm’s reputation, but this was not always the case. When I started as a professional stalker some 30 years ago most stalkers used Parker Hales or BSAs, with only the enlightened few choosing Rugers, known, then as now, for rugged reliability, smoother…
The Boxall & Edmiston round-action 20-bore over-and-under was first seen at last year’s Game Fair “in the white” and drew much positive comment because of its elegant, dainty appearance. The firm’s stand was fortuitously placed near the entrance to Gunmakers’ Row, squeezed between Purdey and Churchill and opposite Holland &…
Rigby Big Game Rifles are best to have to hand if you are hunting for cape buffalo in Tanzania. Rigby Big Game Rifles have been synonymous with John Rigby & Co (1775) since the company collaborated with Mauser the early 1900s. Now, following a turbulent period under American ownership, history has come full…
The Purdey Woodward .410 is a dainty over-and-under. At only 5lb 2oz the Purdey Woodward .410 over-and-under is one of two exciting new Purdey guns I shot recently at the West London Shooting Grounds. (The other, a Damas 20-bore side-by-side – the first Damas side-by-side – will appear in these pages shortly.)…
The new 20-bore version of the Browning 725 is all the more interesting because of its 32in barrels and semi-pistol grip configuration with slimmed fore-end. The firm had quite a success with the 12-bore 725. Its launch in Hungary included a memorable driven day and I came away impressed with…
Monster moths are kind creatures and often misunderstood. Many people think of moths as rather boring little brown jobs that can be a nuisance when you sit out on a warm summer’s evening as they flutter around lights and charge headlong into candle flames or – even worse – your…
